


Making Music Together

by phanburnhamizzard



Series: Alanna Harlow's 30 Day OTP Challenge [9]
Category: Phan, Phandom, dan and phil
Genre: Domestic Dan Howell/Phil Lester, Fluff, Fluff Dan howell/Phil Lester, Gen, M/M, Music, Smut, Smut Dan howell/Phil Lester, dan and phil music
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-10
Updated: 2018-07-10
Packaged: 2019-06-08 05:53:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15236814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phanburnhamizzard/pseuds/phanburnhamizzard
Summary: Music weaves the professional and romantic lives of Dan and Phil together, as told through a piano, a show, and a lesson.  Romance, fluff, domesticity, and implied smut.This story is part of the 30 day challenge to create art about your OTP with a different theme for each day. Today's theme was 'Playing Music' .This work was inspired by http://alannaharlow.tumblr.com/image/175147404258.





	Making Music Together

The white piano gleamed in the soft overhead lights of their new apartment. 

“Wow,” said Phil Lester, a thirty-one year old man, to his boyfriend, Daniel Howell, “That is just gorgeous! I can’t believe you went with white!”

“I know, right?” Dan giggled, “But it’s just so beautiful! And it goes with the grey and black so well.”

“It really does!” Phil enthused. “Soooo…aren’t you going to show me how it sounds?”

“You don’t show people a sound, Phil,” Dan said patiently.

“You know what I mean!” Phil responded quickly, “Play me a song, Howell!”

“Alright,” Dan laughed. He sat down on the smooth bench and began to play a classical piece that Phil had heard him practicing dozens of times on the out of tune piano in their old apartment. On this instrument, though, it sounded so different: so elegantly beautiful. 

Phil walked up and stood beside Dan as the younger boy’s fingers fluidly caressed the keys. He placed a gentle hand on Dan’s shoulder and closed his eyes.

He remembered the first time he had heard this piece, all those years ago in their London apartment. He had been in his room straightening his hair, and Dan had returned from one of his disappearances: those times when he left his phone at the apartment and just vanished for hours at a time. Later, Phil learned it was how Dan dealt with his depression, but at the time, Phil had been a bit hurt by the abrupt absences of his best friend. 

Oftentimes, Dan announced his presence back in the house by doing something creative, and this typically came in the form of some piano practice. Phil came to associate this particular song with Dan working things out. 

Standing in their new apartment, though, the song felt different to Phil. It was played a bit more — what was the word — could it be ‘happily’? Yes, that is what it was. There was more of a spring to it. 

When Dan finished the song, Phil opened his eyes and applauded. “Well done!” He praised. “That sounded lovely! What a great machine!”

“It’s not a machine, Phil, it’s an “in-strum-ment” Dan said, overly enunciating to make his point.

Phil rolled his eyes, “Sorry, mate. It’s a lovely instrument!”

“Thank you,” Dan gushed. “It really is! I’m thinking of taking some piano lessons again.”

Phil’s heart leapt at the sound of that, “Oh, Dan, I think that would be great!” 

“Yeah,” Dan replied, “I just really need to get better. Especially if I’m going to play on tour.”

“Speaking of that,” Phil inquired, “Have you written what you’ll be playing yet?”

“No. But this bad boy will help me do it!”

“It’s a boy, eh?” Phil teased. “I thought all instruments were female. Like ships.”

“Where did you hear that?!” Dan asked.

“I dunno,” Phil replied, “I just thought it was true.”

“Well, fine then, this bad lad, gal, or non-binary pal will help me do it!”

“That’s better,” Phil said.

 

Later that evening, as Phil was fixing supper, Dan sat down to the piano and ran his hands over the slick keys. This had not been an inexpensive purchase. The total cost, with delivery and tuning, had been over 8000 pounds. Dan had dipped into his savings to get it, leaving his account much lower than he’d like it to be, but in the end, he felt it was worth it. 

His mental health had been improving over the past year, and he attributed part of it to allowing his creativity to grow. Making videos and playing music, sketching and writing had all helped him to “work out his brain” as he described it to his therapist. The psychologist encouraged him in his creative endeavors, as the acceleration in his progress was visible to both of them.

Phil grinned as he heard Dan transition from one song and right into the next. He finished up with the meal preparation and took the plates into the living area, placing them on the coffee table. 

He waited for Dan to finish, then applauded, startling Dan. 

“Oh God!” He exclaimed, placing his left hand over his heart, “I didn’t hear you come in!”

“Sorry!” Phil said, “I didn’t want to disturb you.” 

“What’s for supper?” Dan asked, walking towards the sofa.

“Stir-fry” Phil said proudly, gesturing towards the food with a grand flourish.

“That looks delicious, thank you!” Dan said.

 

About a month later, with tour rehearsals in full swing, Dan practiced his new song several times a day. The song sounded just lovely, everyone agreed, but Dan wasn’t happy with his technical skill. 

“Dan, it sounds great!” Phil said encouragingly, “You just have to believe in yourself more.”

“So many people will be listening, Phil. If I make a mistake…”

“Most people won’t even notice,” Phil said, completing his sentence. “And those who do will be piano players themselves and will understand. Calm down about it. Don’t stress!”

“You’re right,” Dan said with a sign, “I just want it to be so perfect.”

Phil walked up and squeezed Dan’s shoulders, “It will be, Dan. You’ll be great!”

The night of the first show, Dan was shaking. Typically, Phil was the one with the stage fright, not Dan, so Phil was not sure how to comfort him. “Just breathe, Dan, it will be fine. Just have fun with it!”

“I don’t even remember the song, Phil!” Dan said frantically, “Let’s just skip that part tonight.”

“No.” Phil said sternly. “You’re doing this. The sheet music is out there and you are going to share your beautiful song with them. They deserve to hear it.” 

“Phil, …” Dan began.

“I deserve to hear it. It will help me calm down. Play it now for me. Please?” 

The rehearsal piano was in their dressing room, and Dan sat down on the bench. 

“Phil, I literally cannot remember….”

“Da, da, da….doo da dooo” Phil began to sing, and Dan automatically joined in on the piano. 

Immediately, his shoulders dropped, losing their tension, and a grin crept onto his face. 

When he finished the song, Phil applauded. “See, I knew you could do it!”

Dan stood up and blushed a bit, waving away the applause but secretly loving it. 

 

“Five minutes. The Interactive Introverts company to assume places please, this is your five minute marker, thank you,” came the calm voice over the speakers.

“Alright, mate,” Dan said, clapping Phil on the back, “Let’s do this!”

“Yeep!” Phil replied, and they headed for their places back stage. 

 

Forty minutes into the show, Dan sat down at the stage piano and began to play. Phil stayed close so Dan could feel his support, but he needn’t have bothered. Dan was in theater mode and played beautifully and calmly. The audience lost their minds and filled the theater with deafening applause. 

 

Later that evening, back at home, the two young men snuggled together on the couch. 

“You did so good!” Phil enthused. “I knew you could do it!”

Dan leaned into Phil’s side and tightened his grip on his hand, saying, “Thanks for helping me out. I really needed the support, mate.”

“Anytime, Bear,” Phil said, turning to face Dan. “Oh! You know what I was going to do if that didn’t work?!”

“What?” Dan laughed, always a sucker for ‘Enthusiastic Phil’.

“Have you teach me how to play it!” Phil declared, proudly.

“What?!” Dan asked, shocked.

“Not the whole thing,” Phil said, laughing and rolling his eyes, “Just like a few notes. I thought it would calm you down to go into a teaching mode.”

“Ohhhh,” Dan said, laughing along, “Yes, that might have helped.”

“Teach me now!” Phil said, bolting up from the couch so fast that Dan nearly fell over sideways.

“Now?” Phil, it’s nearly half 2 in the morning!

But Phil was already at the piano, sitting on the bench, playing an off key version of “Chopsticks”. 

Dan rushed over, “Phil, stop! That’s not right! Scoot over,” he said, nudging Phil to the side so he could fit on the bench. 

Dan placed his hands on the keys, “Now, just watch, okay? We start here,” he said as he played the first notes, “Your hands start here. Now do that.”

Phil carefully placed his hands on the keys and pressed down.

“Not quite, but close. Here, let me just stand behind you instead so you can sit properly.”

Phil moved to the center of the stool and Dan assumed a position standing behind him, leaning over and placing his hands atop Phil’s. 

“Now, just let me guide you,” he said gently.

Dan placed Phil’s fingers on the correct keys, then pushed them down softly so that the correct tones began to play for the initial notes of the song.

“I did it!” Phil said excitedly. “Oh my God!”

Dan smiled. “Well done! Now you try by yourself.”

Phil leaned forward, placed his hands on the same keys, pressed down once, and then sat back up so fast that Dan had no chance to move out of the way. Phil’s head bumped hard against Dan’s chin.

“Ow!” Dan exclaimed. 

“Oh, I’m sorry, Dan!” Phil apologized, turning around on the bench to see Dan rubbing his chin. 

“That’s alright,” Dan laughed. “Now, turn back ‘round and play it again.”

“Oh, um,” Phil began, “I’ve forgotten where my hands were!”

 

 

Dan leaned back over, placed Phil’s hands in correct first position, then let go. Phil pressed down softly on the keys and again, the first sounds of the song played correctly.

“What’s next?!”

“Okay, now your left hand is going to stay the same, but your right index finger is going to move to that black key…”

It took thirty minutes, but at the end of that time, Phil was able to play about eight seconds of the song correctly. 

“Not bad,” Dan said with a smile, “Not bad, Philly!”

“I can’t believe I did it!” Phil enthused.

Dan leaned over and kissed him on the top of the head,”I knew you could, mate.” 

Phil turned around on the bench and wrapped Dan’s waist in a big hug. Dan smiled and wrapped his arms around Phil’s shoulders, then leaned down and gave him a gentle kiss on the lips.

“Thanks again for helping me tonight,” he said, softly.

“You’re welcome, Dan,” Phil replied with a gentle grin. “Thanks for helping me learn part of your beautiful song.”

“You know,” Dan said, “actually, let’s trade places. I want to play you something.”

“Okay!” Phil said, loving every minute of this.

Phil stood behind Dan as Dan assumed his place on the piano bench, paused to position his hands, then began to play. 

Phil had heard parts of this song before, over the years, so it was familiar, but he could never quite place it and he had never gotten around to asking Dan what it was.

It was a simple melody, but the notes seemed to cascade through the apartment, dancing off of every surface. 

When Dan finished, Phil said, “That was lovely! I’ve always meant to ask you, what song is it?”

“It’s an original,” Dan said. 

“Oh, wow! You wrote that? It’s just amazing, Dan!”

“It’s for you, Phil. Or rather, it’s about you. I wrote it thinking of you.”

Phil’s jaw dropped and he stood, speechless, for several seconds. Composing himself, he softly said, “Dan, I had no idea….”

“Yeah, well,” Dan said, beginning to blush, “I’ve been working on it for several years now, and it’s not really finished yet, but I wanted you to hear it tonight.”

“I love it!” Phil gushed, pulling Dan to his feet and wrapping him in a big hug.

“Good,” Dan said. “I’m so glad.”

Phil let go of the hug, tilted up his chin and kissed Dan gently on the lips.

Dan returned the kiss and they grinned at each other. 

“How tired are you?” Phil said, his right eyebrow raised slightly.

“Not too tired,” Dan said, biting his lower lip.

“Turn on some music,” Phil said, pulling Dan towards the stairs by the hand. 

“Hey Siri,” Dan said as he quickly pulled his phone out of his pocket with his free hand, “Play the Phil mix”. 

Phil stopped. “You call it the “Phil Mix?”

“Who else am I going to name the music we have sex to after? Me? That would be weird!” Dan said, laughing.

Phil laughed, “I guess that makes sense,” and resumed pulling Dan up the stairs to their room. 

Music echoed throughout the apartment as they made love; and afterwards, the music lulled them to sleep as they rested, contentedly, in each other’s arms.

_Whoa, my love_  
My darling  
I've hungered for your touch  
A long, lonely time 

_And time goes by so slowly_  
And time can do so much  
Are you still mine? 

_I need your love_  
I need your love  
God speed your love to me 

_Lonely rivers flow to the sea, to the sea_  
To the open arms of the sea  
Lonely rivers sigh, "Wait for me, wait for me  
I'll be coming home, wait for me" 

_Whoa, my love_  
My darling  
I've hungered, hungered for your touch  
A long, lonely time 

_And time goes by so slowly_  
And time can do so much  
Are you still mine? 

_I need your love_  
I need your love  
God speed your love to me 

**Author's Note:**

> https://genius.com/The-righteous-brothers-unchained-melody-lyrics


End file.
